


Back to Basics (I Demand Trial By Combat)

by orphan_account



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Zootopia (2016)
Genre: AU of an AU, Alternate Timeline
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-25
Packaged: 2018-08-17 04:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8130785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Before they were a crew they were a bunch of cadets in star-fleets illustrious academy. The universes most frustrating silver tongued communications officer has a score to settle and he is willing to bet the careers of his friends to prove a point. Sadly everyone else thinks it's just an ego trip.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [raynos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raynos/gifts).
  * Inspired by [true colours (burn those jet pack blues)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7963549) by [raynos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/raynos/pseuds/raynos). 



> So I really want to thank Raynos for her amazing stories. Honestly I can't even attempt to take credit for this idea because I still think his writing blows mine out of the water. But when I was commenting on his story my own head got ideas for stories that were kind of set within the same cross over.
> 
> Do consider this an Alternate Universe of her Alternate Universe. As I said without Raynos this story really wouldn't have existed, as communications officer nick and Security officer Judy are both her character ideas, along with like.. the rest of my crew.
> 
> As per usual with most of my stories it's unbeta'd. but I'd be willing to have someone go over it if they were really interested

“Nick, don’t do this to me.” It was a simple almost begging statement. Judy’s violet eyes looked up at him with complete disdain and annoyance. The small bunny’s foot tapped at the ground as she wore the cadet reds it fit her well, with the color popping slightly against her grey fur highlighting the much smaller creature as she stood in front of her friend.

“It’s a test, an annoying test, but still a test there is a correct answer.” Nick almost growled as he looked at the boards where he had signed himself Judy and several others up for a simulation, a simulation they had now all done twice before.

“It’s not designed with a correct answer Nick. You proved that last time, and I hate it as much as you do but.” Memories flushed over her, it had taken him weeks but he had managed to talk her into taking the kobayashi maru for a second time. The test was degrading and humiliating, but he had spent so much time working out battle plans and trying to figure out how to deal with the three klingon ships that de-cloaked.

The plan had been almost beautiful. He had managed to whip everyone into such a frenzy that for a moment it had been easy to forget it was just a simulation and was rather a fight for life and death against out numbering odds.

And they had won. At great cost of damage, they had charged in head first and managed to take out three enemy ships. A silence had flowed over the crew in that moment a proud unrelenting silence of victory. Then three more enemies had de-cloaked and blown their shit to animal farm. “It’s designed to cheat, there is no correct answer Nick. Even if we beat those three, and the next three there will just be three more ad infinitum. You just have to accept that, the only mammal to ever ‘beat’ the test cheated, and frankly I’m surprised that wasn’t your first choice.”

“Frankly I’m offended that you think I would. I skirt around the rules Fluff. I don’t aim to break them.” NIck raised a paw to his chest, his green eyes brought out even more thanks to the fact that his fur had been seemingly absorbed in the red clothing. Though there was a slight twitch in his mouth and ears to the accusation. “Which is why I need you.”

“Why do you need me? Nick you aren’t even going for command, you're aiming to be a communications officer!” Judy rolled her eyes, she was adamant this time she would not be swayed. She knew him well enough that he wasn’t going to drop this, but she was damned if she was going to be drawn into another lengthy night of planning for what was inevitable failure on the part of a computer simulation.

“Which is technically in command. I’ll be on the bridge which is why I can sign you up to take the test with me.” He gave her a pouting look as he moved closer. It was almost cute, and for a moment she could buy it. She almost let her shoulders slouch almost gave into the fox, but then something righted itself in her brain and she snapped out of it.

“I’m security Nick, I have classes and exams same as you. I don’t have time for this not now.” Judy said and broke away from him. Walking as quickly as she could away from the pain in her posterior, before he scrambled along side her twisting around her to cut her off. He held out a single clawed hand.

“Fifteen minutes.”

“Fifteen minutes?” Judy stared at him cold and calculating, that was exactly enough time to get everyone into place and start the simulation on a slow day. Getting into the seat, reading the opening hailing communication, it was barely enough time to react. But still Nick held to it.

“Fifteen minutes and one torpedo, that’s all I need fluff, and then this test can have an answer. One that will go down in the history books.”

“Next to your name.” Judy said rolling her eyes for a moment. She didn’t believe it but now he had her curiosity. She hated that he had her curiosity. 

“Exactly! I’ll owe you for this fluff, I really will, anything you want. I can get it to you.” He looked at her pleading for a long moment. His lip quivered as his large green eyes seemed to expand for a moment he just stood there pouting and he was right he was going to need her for this.

“I hate you.” Judy grumbled for a moment as she folded her arms. Angry yes, defeated most definitely, but she was in. She knew it the moment she looked at him. She wasn’t sure what they were in for but she knew she was going to hate it. 

“Great, thank you! I need you on this Fluff.” He stepped back pointing at her with almost tripping over himself with a smug arrogant smile written all over his face. “I need to go get the others for this, but you won’t regret it I promise.”

Judy just rolled her eyes. One torpedo and fifteen minutes. It sounded like complete giberish to her, but she supposed that if he had a plan he was willing to act on then he must be able to justify it. For now she would just sit on his bridge and play the CONN role, she couldn’t really navigate worth a crap, but it was a simulation, what was the worst that could happen aside from a few bruises.

Bruises that she would pay him back in full.

~~

“Really he’s doing it again?” Judy groaned as she reached her quarters dropping onto her bed and letting out a groan as Fru-Fru her roommate decided to chime in on it. “I mean you’d think he would have learned after the last time but nope.”

“Wilde doesn’t learn. He’s an arrogant ass that seems to like making a mockery of everything he touches.” Judy kept telling herself that this would be no different. That Nick was somehow just trying to strive for some personal glory. He just wanted his name down in a history book for beating an unbeatable test.

“But he’s good for one thing.” Fru-Fru said brushing her hair as she walked around the quarters her bed being infinitely smaller than Judy yet her half of the room was actually more like 3 quarters of the quarter. Somehow the smaller mammal had taken up much more space than Judy who had managed to fit her entire life into the size of a closet. “So what are you gonna get from him.”

Judy growled at that thought. Nick had an annoying reputation, she had no idea why he had gravitated towards her. The mammal was infuriating, when he said that he took pride in circumventing regulations it wasn’t a lie. He had been known contacts all over starfleet, for a cadet he had already made friends on a few different starships, and was able to get just about anything for the right favor.

She actually hated that side of him. She had made that known the first time he had been caught giving out a bottle of Romulan Ale, though they had searched his quarters and found no additional bottles Judy could have believed that he had kept a store on him somewhere. He was a scoundrel, and the better part of her said that she should throw him in the brig.

It had been a game at first. Call Wilde out on his shit, and hunt him. She had hunted him, watched him like a hawk after that incident, but she had never been able to prove anything more than a bottle which was quickly confiscated, and most likely drank by a professor.

~~

Nick sat next to Finnick the engineer had agreed to be his tactical officer though it wasn’t without cost, a soft clink of glass and Nick downed some of the deep blue liquid feeling his entire body shiver as his hairs stood on end. He suppressed the urge to cough as it felt like every part of his body was on fire.

“And that’s enough for me.” He pushed his glass towards Finnick who happily took it and swigged back the rest. “That’s the plan, I just need you to fire before anyone can complain.”

“I get to fall back on the excuse of following orders, but why did you bring the bunny in on this? It seems so.. Unlike her.” Finnick said as he tried to keep his eyes straight for a moment. His body swayed in a slightly hypnotic way.

“Exactly, no one is going to expect it, and when you do something starfleet doesn’t expect what happens?”

“This is going to take a lot more than fifteen minutes.”

“that promise was just for simulation the fallout might last a few days. When we go out there tomorrow afternoon we aren’t just passing this test we are killing it.” Finnick blinked for a moment wondering why this was so important to him.

“Is this about Johnathan?”

“shut up.” the red fox’s ears lowered his entire body hung still for a moment as he felt like a noose was being wrapped around his neck.

“So yes.” Finnick cackled hard at that annoyingly so, it made Nick want to lean over and strangle him. Which of course was more the rum talking or at least he really hoped it was the ale. He didn’t normally have thoughts about strangling his friends. 

“You should let it go. I’d have thought his constant gifts to you were enough.” Finnick said taking another swig of the glass. There was another chuckle, but both foxes knew they were walking on thin ice with this conversation.

“The bottles helped.” Nick admitted with a sheepish smile, but then his face became more serious. “But no, this is about breaking down part of the system. I break this test, and it looses it’s power, and i’m not going to cheat, I’m not going to rewrite the program, i’m going to beat it by their rules.”

“I can respect that, but Nikky you're getting in over your head with this plan. If you think you can justify it then go ahead, but you know how starfleet will react. They don’t like having their minds stretched outside the box.” Finnick rolled over onto his bed coughing slightly as he put the finished glass down.

Nick laid down on his cot annoyed at the other fox’s words. “Fifteen minutes, and one torpedo. We will go down in history.”

“Or we will be expelled either way good knowing you.”

~~

“Look at that Foxtrot is here again.” Commander Ursa Estrela, smirked as she looked over the staging area for a moment. Wilde was sitting down in his command chair and the rest of his crew were gathering around him. This was what the third time the kid was going through this? The last time had been a riot, the look on their faces when three more enemies de-cloaked had been priceless. She had seen it before on a number of whelps but that team had seemed especially desperate.

“Hes here to fail again.” Captain Bogo said crossing his arms as he stood aside. He hadn’t seen the first attempt, but when someone had come back for seconds he had taken an interest, and now that there was a third attempt the instructor took special notice. “No one goes back for thirds, he’s up to something.”

“Don’t worry about it, my tech’s ran diagnostics earlier and up to tonight. We won’t have a repeat. There are no bugs in the simulation. It’s working as intended.” Ursa smiled it didn’t seem to matter what was going to happen, the poor kids had the deck stacked against them. Of course that was the point. She wasn’t sure why a captain was taking interest in this.

“That just means the pup learned from the past.” Bogo sneered for a long moment he didn’t trust the kid. Wilde, there was no doubt that he was up to something. His jaw tightened for a moment. “They may begin.”

~~

Nick actually felt nervous. He didn’t want to explain it, he couldn’t really. Just that there was a sinking feeling in his gut at being back in this chair. A chair that he didn’t even want really. He just needed it to prove a point.

Looking to his crew Judy was on CONN, Finnick on Tactical, He had borrowed Clawhauser to sit in at the com-station at least that was his normal position anyway. Under any other conditions it would have been Nick’s space, and Claw would have been in a different group. He needed each of them. Part of him wondered if anyone else felt pressure. Finnick looked like he was going to vomit, but that wasn’t due to anything more than a bad hangover.

The green light was turned on, and the bridge came to life, the lights turning on in that very simulation kind of way. Nick sank back into his chair this was it. Make it or break it this was the moment that was going to define his career in star-fleet if he was allowed to have one.

Judy gave him a look that simply told him one other detail about his life, his fifteen minutes started now.

“Sir we are receiving a distress signal, A federation mining vessel the Kobayashi Maru has fallen under technical difficulties, and is drifting into the neutral zone. They are asking us for help.”

“Of course they are.” Nick said taking a deep breath his lungs making it feel like they were full of ice for some reason. He stood up and moved over to Judy. “Do not cross over the border, but take us within range.” 

“Clawhauser, how many crew the Kobayashi?” He felt an oddly familiar presence watching him as Clawhauser gave him a number between one and forty.

“Thank you Clawhauser, Finnick, I’d like you to load one torpedo into the forward array. Judy bring us within firing range, but stay to outside of the neutral zone.”

Judy paused for a moment the enemy only de-cloaked when they crossed the line to rescue the ship, there was nothing to fire on yet. Nick simply leaned over her console. “Here let me help.” He said typing in some coordinates for her. “I know this isn’t your usual post.”

Still Judy looked puzzled and was about to ask what was going on when Nick turned to Finnick.

“Finnick, fire on the Kobayashi.” Clawhouser and Judy both turned to Nick as he watched with a distinct feeling of pride as the single green ball of death hurled towards the federation ship, the next moment was silence and then a ball of fire, Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Done!” Finnick said trying his best not to laugh. Nick simply breathed deeply and exhaled slowly, this was it. This was the death of a test. All of his spite and anger had been in that torpedo. Honestly watching the Kobayashi Maru go up in flames had been the most cathartic experience of his life.

~~

Bogo watched, along with Ursa as they got into position observing and recording everything that they could about the situation. The pup was handling this seriously he could tell, and yet there was something about this set up that was mischievous.

As Nick pushed his way onto the CONN consol Bogo had a sinking feeling that he knew what was about to happen. He had to suppress a growl or as he felt his teeth grind for a moment. Before he watched Nick give an order that no Federation Captain was supposed to give.

“Shut it down.” He said as the team nodded and the administration cut the feed of the test. He couldn’t take this in good conscious. Wilde had better be able to answer for this tactic, otherwise his ass would be out, along with the rest of his little test crew.

The lights were already off from the moment they had chosen to fire on the Kobayashi, there had been a stunned silence. A moment later the doors to the simulation room opened and Captain Bogo stormed in. “My office the four of you!”

“Nick Wilde what the sweet potato was that!” Judy was practically screaming as quietly as she could. This whole thing was one big joke and she had been a part of it. They were being escorted into the captain's office, they were going to be hit with administration, and there was nothing she could do about it because she had been a willing pawn in some weird game.

“Sixteen minutes, and 3 seconds, sorry fluff I know you're mad i went over the time limit.” Nick said shrugging his shoulders slightly at the joke and trying to give her a smile.

“Shut it both of you!” The four stood at his office Bogo opening his door and ushering them inside. “Wilde explain yourself, and it had better be good.”

“It is captain, but not here.”

“What?” If Bogo had been mad before he was livid at that answer.

“The last time someone broke your test they had a hearing set up. A trial by peers, if I explained this in your office only you would get to hear my justifications. I want all of star-fleet to know how I beat your little test, and exactly how I intend to justify it.” Nick’s eyes narrowed dangerously as he leaned in. “and I want a trial by peers so that personal history gets waved sir.”

“You would turn my academy into a horse race? What’s to stop me from expelling you over this for insubordination.”

Judy coughed for a moment. “Um Captain, you can’t or rather you shouldn’t… as much as I hate to admit this Wilde is right. There is precedent for what he is asking for.”

“You realize the last one didn’t go in favor of the accused.” Bogo said with a smirk on his face now that the gloves were being taken off this was so much more interesting. “The four of you will likely be pushed out of the academy just as he was.”

“He cheated captain. We didn’t. We won fair and square.” Nick said with a grin. He could do this, for the first time he could take apart just a small piece of the system. “And I intend to make it so that everyone knows that we won by your own rules.”

“Your an idiot Wilde and you should be cast out.” Bogo said with a glare that almost made the fox’s grin fade...almost.

“Fine your hearing will be set up, till then all of you get out of my face.”


End file.
